E3 2013: ‘Pokemon X and Y’ Details Pour In!

As one of Nintendo’s biggest releases this year, Pokemon X and Y were sure to receive a ton of coverage. However, I don’t think anyone’s body is ready for how much info actually came out. From new types, to new Pokemon and new ways to battle, I’ve made it my personal responsibility to round up all the news and put it in one place, just for all you Geekscape trainers out there. We have a lot to dig into, so here we go!

In addition to the new starters, (grass user Chespin, fire user Fennekin and water user Froakie,) and previously revealed characters who were making their official U.S. debut, (like the pissed off panda, Pancham, and Helioptile… which I have no clue how to describe,) all new reveals include Skrelp, a water and poison type that CAN’T be worse than Quilfish, Clauncer, another water type, Talonflame, (who’s typing you’ll never guess,) a Venomoth lookalike called Vivillon and Noivern, a giant bat.

The new Fairy type will finally even out the game’s typing at 18 unique elements. Fairy is strong against Dragon types, and in addition to the new Eevee evolution, Sylveon, old Pokemon like Marill, Jigglypuff and Gardevoir will be retroactively added to the type. If Clefairy and Clefable aren’t changed since they’ve been known as the “Fairy” Pokemon from the beginning, I might have an aneurism.

A new Fairy type attack called Moonblast was introduced by Sylveon. More reason Clefairy should be switched. It’s supposed to have come from the moon for Arceus’ sake! Fairy Wind was also used by Gardevoir, and did a ton of damage to Hydreigon, which means it was really weak, or Fairy is also strong against Dark.

Pokemon-Amie is a new feature that blends in Nintendogs type features with the Pokemon series. Giving trainers the ability to feed, pet and play with their teammates, this deepens the bond between monster and trainer, which will affect battles in unsaid ways. If it ends up being anything more than adding to the happiness stat, (which powers up certain attacks and fosters evolution in certain breeds,) I’ll be surprised. Using the 3DS cameras for interaction is also a brilliant move, since it adds way more personalization to the game.

For the first time, the games will let you choose between one of seven languages to match the worldwide release, which include English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese or Korean.

A new linking system called the PSS, (or Player Search System,) will allow players to search for other trainers both locally and online! This includes battling and trading. The goal of X and Y is to refine the core aspects of the series, which are collecting, battling and trading.

Two new battle types will be introduced. First are Horde Battles, which are 5 on 1 battles that take place in the wild. Simulating Pokemon moving in packs, this both adds an interesting dynamic to wild encounters and will make it much easier to level grind if they’re frequent enough.

The second battle type are Air Battles are special fights where only flying and “certain other” Pokemon can be used. The trailer shows Haunter being switched in, so does “certain other” mean Pokemon with the Levitate ability?

And finally… Pokemon X and Y will launch simultaneously worldwide on October 12! 

So there you have it. Game Freak really blew the lid off of this one, but there’s still so much more to come. How will Fairy types be integrated? Will Pokemon-Amie play a huge role? How many new Pokemon will be added? All these questions and more will be answered on October 12, but until then, we have two new trailers to hold us over. Check them out and make sure to comment if you’re excited!